Family, activists and community come together to honor life of 5-year-old girl shot to death on Near West Side

Family, activists and residents gathered and released balloons Friday night on the Near West Side to honor the life of 5-year-old Reign Ware, who was shot and killed Sunday.

Reign was shot in the abdomen around 3:30 a.m. Sunday while sitting in a car in the 200 block of South Campbell Avenue on the Near West Side, according to police. She was one of 41 people shot and 10 killed during the Memorial Day weekend violence, according to preliminary police information. A 24-year-old man was also injured in the shooting that killed Reign, police said.

On Friday night, about 100 people surrounded Reign's mother, Raven Adams, holding photos and a cardboard cutout of the girl above their heads in an open field near the scene of the shooting before releasing balloons in shape of unicorns and hearts. . The cutout featured a unicorn and the words “Forever Reign.”

“I wish I could have her back,” Adams said. “I wish I could see her again.”

She held a bouquet of flowers and wore a pendant that read “always in our hearts.”

Earlier Friday, elected officials and activists held a short march and rally at the intersection of West Jackson Boulevard and South Campbell Avenue. They offered support to the family and called for an end to gun violence throughout Chicago and particularly on the city's West Side.

A police department spokesperson said Friday evening that no one was in custody in connection with Reign's death and that detectives were investigating the shooting.